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The stone is carved out of styrofoam:



The tree is made with electrical pvc pipe, polyurethane foam, stainless steel wire and nylon string dipped in cementy stuff:



No paint is used. The first layer (white) is tiling plaster, the second (grey) is floor levelling and the latest (brown) is grout.
Cement is the main ingredient in all of them. I used different materials just to show the phases a bit better, normally I make them with just tiling plaster and grout.

Looking good! Thanks for showing us the process.

You are extremely artistic. This was not your first attempt at sculpting.
Awesome work.

That is a very clever technique for making the roots. Thanks for sharing.

Hallo hx
hi there,

i used to make a wall with epoxyd two component stuff...as last layer i used grey quarz sand so the shine of the epoxyd is gone


i guess algae will also grow better than on a smooth underground.

farid

Keiths, thanks and my pleasure.

Gary, thanks a million. Yes, done some carving before. Aqua and terrarium scapings and such. And some "real" sculpting, too.

farid wrote:Hallo hx
hi there,
i used to make a wall with epoxyd two component stuff...as last layer i used grey quarz sand so the shine of the epoxyd is gone
i guess algae will also grow better than on a smooth underground.
farid

Hi, Farid. Nice stoning there.
I used to put a layer of epoxy resin on the fake rock I made. Now I just do it if there's very heavy wear in sight, such as turtles playing around or so.
I put some acrylic copolymere into the mixture of cement-based materials nowadays. Seems to do the trick and leaves the surface matt. And yes, algae grows well on it. A bit too well, at the moment. I have a nice attack of thread or hair algae in the tank.

The fake rocks and fake branches are brilliant, you have some serious skills.

Thanks, Namal.

The branches are about done. Now I'm going to keep them wet for a couple of weeks to cure the cement.

Amazing! Thanks very much for the artistry & inspiration

Great work! Looks real to me, maybe better.

really cool stuff!!! amazing!

wow, that last piece of wood is the nicest I've seen fake or not. I'm going to be making a fake rock structure, background and some large boulders for the bottom.

What would be the best way to waterproof and to make the polystyrene look like rock? I'm torn between cement, epoxy resin and sand....

Thanks again, NancyD, plaalye, Farid.

afroturf wrote:wow, that last piece of wood is the nicest I've seen fake or not. I'm going to be making a fake rock structure, background and some large boulders for the bottom.

What would be the best way to waterproof and to make the polystyrene look like rock? I'm torn between cement, epoxy resin and sand....

Thanks.
Now if you use polystyrene, I don't think you need to waterproof it an sich. Or any of the other materials you mention. They are all waterproof in the meaning of not dissolving in water.

Judging by your questions on your thread, you seem to have reservations for usage of cement in aquarium. That's ok, cement does affect aquarium water by raising alkalinity.
Or even worse, if you put uncured cement into aquarium, ph may rocket to even 10 or higher. Depending on amounts of cement added.
But. Cement-based decor has been used in aquariums since way before any of the nice epoxy resins and other materials we have today, with no ill affects. Fish have been raised in pure concrete (cement-based) tanks and pools. Well, I don't get any royalty for cement sales, so I'll leave it at that.

What I have done in the over 25 years I have used cement in aquariums is I have made sure it has been cured thoroughly before adding it into the tank. Curing depends on the thickness of the layer and only happens with water. If cement dries, curing halts. Wet it again, and it goes on from where it was left.

Even after curing, cement raises alkalinity (and hardness) slightly, but with normal water changes I have never had any problems with it.

Some people seem to treat cement with vinegar to neutralise it quicker. I have never tried it, but I'm sure it does the trick. Acid does neutralise alkalinity.

That being said, any of the materials you mention are worth trying. Or combining. I used to put a layer of (clear) epoxy resin on top of my cement scapings, but don't any more. I get a nicer look without it. But I have seen other people getting very natural looks with epoxy, too.

I also sometimes mix coarse sand in cement that I use, to get a nice uneven texture... And Farid mentioned he puts sand on top of uncured (I think?) epoxy resin to lose the gloss.

What I do use often these days with cement is acrylic polymere. They are airdrying plastics (usually 1-comp) that are used in all kinds of modified cement materials and also sold separately. They make cement-based products stronger and seal it to an extent.

Here's a brackish tank I have, with what I think is a very nice ambiance.
Background is leca-cement covered with grout and the roots are pvc pipe with grout. Except the few live mangroves...

hx your handy work is great, I've chosen to have a go with cement method, a couple of questions though why do you use a layer of grout as your final layer? Could I not just use cement with appropriate colour pigment added to give the correct finish? Do you use aquarium silicon sealant to stick the different sheets of polystyrene together?

afroturf wrote:hx your handy work is great, I've chosen to have a go with cement method, a couple of questions though why do you use a layer of grout as your final layer? Could I not just use cement with appropriate colour pigment added to give the correct finish? Do you use aquarium silicon sealant to stick the different sheets of polystyrene together?

Thanks.
The reason for using grout is that grout is usually made out of (very fine) filler sand, Portland cement and pigment. Some of the modern grouts have some polymeric additives. To me it's just easier to use a ready-made stuff (instead of getting suitable filler, cement and pigment). Sometimes I throw in some pigment or mix different grout colors.
A word of caution might be said: some grouts contain mold-preventives that are poisonous to aquarium inhabitants.
But sure, make your own mixture with cement and pigments. Do use some filler, too, since cement used alone tends to shrink alot while curing and drying.

I glue the sheets together with either silicone or hot glue.